Menorah In the Window
by WriterWilf
Summary: London, 1938. The Pevensies learn that the Berkovichs- German immigrants to England who have been friends to the family for years- are set to become foster parents to two German Jewish children refugees. Through trials, friendships are forged. "Hope comes in many forms...yet it's universal."
1. Chapter 1

**AN: There's quite a bit of back-story behind this fic. The idea came to me when I pictured an image of a menorah standing in a windowsill on a dark night, fully lit. I later drew an image in my mind of the Pevensies having friends who were Jewish. Upon inspection into British history, I learned about the Kindertransports. **

**The Kindertransports was an organized operation established by the British government after night of Kristellnacht (the English translation being "Night of Broken Glass"). Kindertransports referred to the rescue of over 10,000 Jewish children as refugees so that they may escape the Nazi persecution taking place in Germany, Austria, Czechslovakia, and Poland. A rescue that began on the 2nd of December, 1938, and would proceed for nine months until Germany invaded Poland in 1939. **

**This fic is dedicated to all of the children who were among them, as well as their families. Many of whom were lost to concentration and death camps. Yet still the parents and guardians had the courage to send their children to safety, even if it meant splitting their family apart. **

Menorah In the Window

Chapter One  
>In Which Mr. Berkovich Stays After Dinner<p>

There were once four children living in London whose surnames were that of Pevensie. Their names were Peter (who was the oldest), Susan (the oldest daughter), Edmund (the second youngest) and Lucy (the youngest.) You may already know of these said children, if you had already read a book by the title of _The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe_. If you read that book, you know very well that these children were destined to do great things in another world very different from our own. However, this story doesn't pertain to that world at all. Rather, it deals with a rather significant story that happened to them in their world.

They lived in London with their parents- who were known as very kindly folk. Their father was a professor of Mathematics at the University of London, and their mother stayed at home to care for her four children though she herself had been a certified nurse before she had met Mr. Pevensie and decided the path of homemaking over the path of having her own career.

It just so happened that one chilly November evening, that one of Mr. Prevensie's dearest friends- Dr. Berkovich as he was known in the classroom, but just Mr. Berkovich to the Pevensies- was invited over for dinner. Of course, the Pevensies thought nothing of this meeting. Mr. Berkovich was a regular visitor- having meals with the family at least twice a month. The children quite adored him- for he was a kind and loving soul who also had a fancy for sweets, and was always willing to share whatever treats he happened to have on him with them. The fact that the man was a German immigrant who was also Jewish played little influence on their perception of him. He was first and foremost a family friend who had known their father for years- having started their professions at the University at the same time. Being as young as they were- they little realized that this meeting was rather different from the others.

That was until it was time to send the children off to bed, when it reached eight o' clock in the evening. Now it was normal for both Peter and Susan to join their younger siblings in turning in for the night. However, as they were about to follow their mother while she was ushering along Edmund and Lucy, their father broke away from the conversation he was currently having with Mr. Berkovich and said to them, "Pete, Su, please remain here."

This immediately captured the attentions of the two children. They turned to one another, as if the answers to the questions could be found on the faces of the other. When they realized that they couldn't be found, they turned to their father.

"Dad?" Peter asked in question.

"Have we done something wrong?" Susan said, her voice quavering a little.

"No children," their father reassured them. "Come, join Mr. Berkovich and I at the table. Your mother will be joining us once she has put Ed and Lu to sleep."

"Why aren't they here with us?"

Before Mr. Pevensie could respond, Mr. Berkovich spoke. "If I'm impeding on their bedtime, John, I could simply come by at another time. I don't want them to lose any sleep on my account."

"Fear not, Otto. I'm sure an hour of sleep won't be amiss for the children. Especially when they learn that it's because they're being asked to do a noble deed."

Peter and Susan looked to each other with excitement. "What kind of noble deed, Dad?" asked Peter, thrill clearly heard in his voice.

"Let's wait until your mother has come down from tucking in and saying goodnight to Edmund and Lucy," Mr. Pevensie said. "She would very much like to be in on this conversation herself. Until then, how about the three of us help clean up the kitchen for your mother?"

"I can help if you like," offered Mr. Berkovich.

"No need, Otto. You're the guest. Allow us to clean up."

While impatient, the two Pevensie children decided it would be best to do as their father asked. The two of them knew that to get quickly to the subject, they had to make sure their mother was capable of partaking without distractions. They knew how much their parents preferred it when they could both partake in conversations of matters that they found were important. While a few of their father's colleagues and their mother's friends seemed to frown on it, it never swayed them. The Pevensies knew that their mother didn't like standing idly by while the men discussed matters. She preferred to be engaged in the subject not only as a woman, but as an equal. Their father- who strongly supported his wife- believed she had every right to be as well and welcomed her input during any conversation. Their dear friend Mr. Berkovich also held the same respective views about women, and was supportive of his own wife when dealing with the same matters. So he had no problem at all waiting for Mrs. Pevensie.

After ten minutes passed in which their father and Mr. Berkovich spoke about how the meal had been quite delicious and that Helen had outdone herself. Peter and Susan contributed little to the conversation other than to reiterate the fact that indeed, their mother was quite the cook. When they heard footsteps on the stairs, they all turned to see Mrs. Pevensie come from the stairway and enter the kitchen. Turning to cleaned dishes on the counter, she smiled. "Thank you, John."

"Better thank Peter and Susan as well, dear, they helped me clear the table and wash them."

Mrs. Pevensie smiled and kissed them both on the tops of their heads. After pecking her husband on the cheek, she took a seat beside him. Peter and Susan took the chair at the end, so that Peter was sitting on Mr. Berkovich's right and Susan on his left.

"Now then," Mrs. Pevensie began, "I do believe we have a matter to discuss."

Mr. Berkovich nodded. "Indeed. Again, Elsa does apologize that she couldn't be here."

"Nonsense. Her staying so she can take care of her sister's children is no reason to apologize. Now onto the matter. Were you successful?"

There was a pause as Berkovich's face became blank. The two Pevensie children looked at each other, neither having any idea what the adults were talking about. Before either of them could ask however, Berkovich smiled and said, "Yes. Elsa and I applied and the government sent us a notice that we have been selected."

Mr. Pevensie and Mrs. Pevensie's smiles grew. They wished him many congratulations and Mr. Pevenise commented how it was a shame neither of them brought wine for it surely would have been an appropriate moment for a toast. The two men agreed however that the sharing of pipe-tobacco (for the two of them were proceeding to pull out their pipes and fill them) would suffice. Within moments pipe-smoke filled the air around the table, and Mrs. Pevensie asked her husband that she have a puff, which Mr. Pevensie graciously gave.

The children however were confused. "What did Mr. Berkovich get?" Susan questioned.

It was as if the adults had just realized that surely the children had no idea what they were talking about. "I'm sorry children," Mr. Pevensie apologized once the smoke had billowed from his mouth.

"Do they know about what's happening in Germany?" Mr. Berkovich asked, smoke rolling out of his pipe in wisps.

"We hear about it in school. Some of the teachers sound a little uneasy," said Peter.

"They have every right to be. If all Brits had the same view of the situation such as those that that spineless Chamberlain has maintained, we'll be in plenty of hot water. I tell you. This uneasy truce won't last. Mark my words, Hitler won't keep his grubby little Aryan hands away from the rest of Europe for long."

"Let's not go into too much politics," Mrs. Pevensie warned Mr. Berkovich and Mr. Pevensie by fixing them with her eyes, "we'll only confuse the children on a matter that should be rather simple to understand."

"Agreed," Mr. Pevensie complied. Turning to Peter and Susan, he asked, "What do you know is happening in Germany?"

"That there's a very bad man named Hitler taking command of it," said Susan as she closed her eyes. Of the young Pevensies, she was turning out to be the best student. Information no sooner delivered to her and she could recall it.

"He's the head of a party called the Nazis," said Peter. "Some say he's a decent chap. Others say that he's quite batty."

"My one teacher says not to believe him. He won't just be looking to take just Austria, but the rest of Europe."

"Do they happen to mention that Hitler and his friends don't like certain groups of people?" asked Mr. Pevensie.

Peter and Susan thought for a few moments. Susan then said, "I heard someone say they heard he was being mean to comm-comm-une-"

"Communists," finished Mrs. Pevensie

Susan nodded. "Communists," she said with a grin of triumph painted on her face.

"Any others?" asked Mr. Berkovich.

"They also said he don't like gypsies," said Peter. "Or homosexuals. Or Jehovah's Witnesses. Or Catholics. Or disabled people."

"Are there any others they mentioned?" Mr. Pevensie asked.

Susan and Peter thought for a few moments. Suddenly their eyes lit up as if a light had just been recently clicked on. "Jews!" they both exclaimed.

"Hitler don't like the other groups, but it's Jews and Communists he hates the most!" Susan elaborated.

"Some of our teachers say that he has good reason for hating them," Peter added.

Sad looks reflected off of Mr. Berkovich and their parents. Seeing their eyes, Susan quickly added, "Peter and I know that isn't true though! That there's no reason for Hitler to be mean to Jews and other people. Our teachers are just being spiteful."

"Hitler's nothing but a poisonous beast."

Somber faces lifted like balloons in the air. Mr. Berkovich smiled at Mr. Pevensie and Mrs. Pevensie, "The two of you truly are wonderful parents. It fills me with hope knowing that there are indeed some who don't believe in anti-Semitism and teach it to their youth."

"Just like good old Professor Kirke from the History Department once said: 'Logic is the thing that must be taught in our schools,'" Mr. Pevensie stated. "Unfortunately, it appears to be rather lacking. Helen and I have to make sure that it's taught in our own home."

"In times such as these we hold dear to the saying of 'Love thy neighbor as thyself,'' Mrs. Pevensie said proudly. "It's not just logic...it's a moral duty that any decent human can uphold."

"Who am I to argue with wise words?" asked Mr. Berkovich.

"You should probably explain to the children about what happened in Germany recently," Mr. Pevensie said, bringing the conversation back on track.

"Quite right, quite right. As I was going to say...Dear Children, what I'm going to tell you is very terrible, but you need to hear it to understand. One night back a couple weeks ago, Hitler ordered that the SS- the Nazi police force, as well as non-Jews, should do terrible things to the Jewish people living in Germany and Austria. He ordered that their houses be ransacked, their businesses vandalized, and the synagogues be desecrated. Hundreds of Jews were killed and thousands more have been captured and are being held prisoner. A friend of mine from back home tells me that they are calling it Kristellnacht- which is German for 'Night of Broken Glass', since many of the windows of the buildings were shattered.

"Ever since it happened, word has spread and now the whole world is eyeing Germany. England has heard about what happened and is going to do something to help."

"What are they going to do?" inquired Susan.

"Are they going to knock Hitler down to size?" Peter said.

Mr. Berkovich chuckled, "As wondrous as it would be to see Hitler knocked down to size, I'm afraid that England is not yet ready to take such a drastic leap. No, the Parliament of England has another idea in mind to help my fellow Jews still living in Germany."

"Tell them what it is," urged Mrs. Pevensie.

Mr. Berkovich smiled. "The government is going to help evacuate Jewish children living in Germany and Austria. So that they may have a chance of being safe."

"What about their Mums and Dads?" asked Susan.

"The government will think of a way," Mrs. Pevensie reassured them as she reached out and softly brushed her fingers through her daughter's hair. Those who knew better could tell that she was merely saying this as a comfort to her daughter. She and the other grown-ups knew that governments may be willing to help children. Adults however are an entirely different matter. Her look to Mr. Pevensie and Mr. Berkovich was enough to tell them that the children may need to know the basics, but details such as this were something they weren't ready to handle. Not quite yet.

Taking the hint, Mr. Berkovich cleared his throat. "Right. To continue. The British government has reached out to all foster homes, orphanages, and the like and asked them all to lend a hand. To provide for a place of comfort and shelter to them until it may be safe for them to one day return to their families."

"Is that what you're going to do?" Susan questioned. "Are you going to take in children?"

Mr. Berkovich smiled. "That's right. Mrs. Berkovich and I are going to be welcoming two children into our home on the second of December. Hopefully, they will be the first of many to arrive."

"Isn't that exciting, children?" Mrs. Pevensie's trilled with delight.

Peter and Susan nodded. It was Peter who asked, "Will we be able to meet them?"

"I would certainly say so," said Mr. Berkovich. "That's exactly why we have asked for the two of you."

"How do you mean?" Susan looked at the family friend.

"When the children arrive to London, they're going to be afraid. London will be an entirely new world for them. They probably don't know much English, and they definitely won't have many friends when they come here. Anyone that they may have met on the way will be separated from them.

"I was wondering if perhaps the two of you would be willing to reach out to them? Be a friend if they need it? If for some reason they don't take to it at first, at least keep on trying. Be kind and always welcoming to them. Keep an eye out for them, because neither Elsa or I will be able to when they go off to school."

"Are they attending St. Mary's?" asked Susan.

"The girl is. She's actually about a year younger than Peter and a year older than you, Susan. The boy I believe is a little younger than Susan. A little older than Edmund, but not by much. He will be attending Corner House with Peter and Edmund."

"What are their names?" asked Peter.

"Magda and Ansel Schurn. They're from Berlin."

"They'll be entering something entirely new once they arrive in England," Mrs. Pevensie explained, her voice full of pity.

"Will the two of you keep an eye out for them when you arrive at your schools? As well as try to make friends with them? It may help them adjust here if they already know people here."

"What do you say you two?" asked Mr. Pevensie.

Peter and Susan turned to one another. They came to a decision almost immediately, nodding their heads. "We'd be happy to," they both replied.

"Though, why is there a need to ask?" Susan wondered aloud. "Surely we'd want to be friends with them if they wanted to be with us."

Mr. Berkovich smiled. "Truly it must be God's will that Elsa and I can finally have children to care for. We will now be able to rest more easily knowing they will have friends."

**AN: So, what does my audience think so far? Don't be afraid to drop a review on your way out! **

**Aslan's blessings! **

**Also, I must give credit to my awesome beta- Nothing Really Specific. I do appreciate the work he has done. **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey all, thanks very much for the reviews! I do appreciate them. Some of you brought up some rather good points and questions. Not to fear, I shall be working to address them as the story permits me to do so. **

**Also, for those of you who may be confused. I haven't necessarily changed the names of the schools so much as what they are. Upon research on the British school system, I found out how the primary and secondary schools are organized. I'm making Henden House and St. Finbar's secondary schools. The names of the primary schools that the children are attending you will learn as you read the chapter. I will also be fixing the first chapter so as to remain consistent. Sorry for the inconvenience. **

Chapter Two

The Days Before

The excitement of the two Pevensies couldn't be contained after they had been sent off to bed. Without even really meaning to, the two elder children woke up Edmund and Lucy. Of course, Edmund and Lucy barely understood the major significance. Lucy was only five-years-old, and Edmund was only seven. They knew of a bad man named Hitler living over in Germany, and how he led a group called the Nazis. The two of them were merely excited to hear that Mr. Berkovich and his wife were going to be adopting children.

"You said the boy wasn't much more older than me?" Edmund asked Peter.

The two brothers shared the same room, but they had separate beds. Model planes hung from the ceiling, the two of them had put them together. Next to the window was a window-seat, in which the two boys placed their toy trains, the tracks that they ran on, as well as several little toy figurines (mainly soldiers, but also firemen and police officers). Over in another corner next to a dresser in which they kept their clothes stood some equipment to play cricket (which all four of the children enjoyed). Next to their closet was a small bookcase with plenty of books. Some younger ones for children for Edmund, ones about bakers and toy-makers. For Peter there were ones about knights, kings, monsters and noble quests.

It was the middle of the night by now, but the youngest Pevensie was too excited to be asleep. He laid awake despite being tucked into warm-gray sheets. His eyes were wide, as if there couldn't possibly be anything else better for them to do at that time. There was barely a night that passed by when the two brothers weren't up to the middle of the night talking anyway. By now Mr. Berkovich had gone home, and their parents had to be well into bed. There was no fear of discovery.

"According to Mr. Berkovich, he's only a year older than you." Peter said this as he rolled over to face his brother. He pushed back his green sheets enough so that he could look over them and see his brother.

Smiling, Edmund said, "He's going to Corner House?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, you and I will more than likely be seeing him often."

"Will we meet him before then?"

Shrugging, Peter said, "I don't see why not. I imagine that Mr. Berkovich will want us to meet Ansel Schurn soon enough."

"The girl too?" Ed questioned

"Yes. Her too," Peter yawned.

"I wonder what they will be like?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think they'll want to play cricket?"

"I don't know, Ed."

"Do you think-"

"Ed?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know. What I do know is we need to get some sleep."

"Pooh! How can I sleep when I know when we might be making some new friends? I'll be awake for hours thinking about it."

Not even fifteen minutes later, Edmund was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Susan and Lucy were in their room. Aside for their beds, there were a bunch of small stuffed toys that the girls both loved to play with sitting atop of a window. They also had a dresser in the one corner. They also had a shelf where two dolls rested. One that belonged to Susan (even though she didn't really play with hers anymore) and one that of course belonged to Lucy (which she still chose to play with often).

The two girls laid in their beds. Susan's sheets were a soft purple color. While the ones the youngest Pevensie had on her bed were a soft shade of blue. Lucy held her stuff toy- a little brown dog named Rover (a name inspired by a dog's name that she had heard when she was in the park)with floppy ears and a button nose. The toy clutched under her arm, she turned over so that she was on the side that faced Susan. "Do you think she'll want to play dolls with me?"

Susan- who had been just about to fall asleep- sighed and rolled over. "What did you say, Lu?" she asked.

"The girl who's going to be living with Mr. Berkovich? Do you think she'll want to play with dolls?"

Not knowing how else to respond. Having just turned nine years old, Susan felt that she was starting to outgrow doll playing. Still, since it was one of her sister's favorite activities, she chose to play along. At least until Lucy got bored and they decided to play with something else. "I don't see why not."

"Maybe we can have a tea party!" exclaimed Lucy excitedly. Holding her toy in front of her she said, "You would like that, wouldn't you Rover?" A pause for a few moments. Turning to her sister again, she said, "Rover wants to know if you think the boy would want to play fetch with him?"

"I'm sure we'll all have a lovely time regardless of what we are doing," Susan reassured her sister. Smiling, she said, "It is exciting, isn't it? Mr. Berkovich and his wife taking in children."

"I bet they will make lovely parents."

"They've been longing for children for as long as I can remember. Mum and Dad said that Mr. and Mrs. Berkovich have been trying for years now, but no luck."

"You mean the stork never came?"

"I suppose not."

"Why didn't the stork ever come?"

"I think it's because the stork gets very confused trying to keep a list of all the people who want children and the ones who don't. Sometimes the people get mixed together and sometimes people who don't want children end up having them delivered, and the ones who do get passed by. So instead it drops multiple ones off and doesn't ever deliver to others."

"I'm glad the stork had time to leave me here," Lucy said, a huge smile on her face. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Mummy and Daddy."

Susan shook her head. "I don't know either. It must be sad, not having a Mum and Dad."

"What do you mean?" asked Lucy. "How come the children don't have a Mum and Dad?"

"I don't know. Mum and Dad and Mr. Berkovich said that the girl and boy are from an orphanage in Berlin."

"What's an orphanage?"

"It's where they put children who don't have parents to take care of them."

"No Mums and Dads?"

"Nope."

"No grandparents?"

"Nope."

"Not even godparents?"

"Not even godparents."

"That's so sad. Susan, how come there are children who have people who take care of them, and there are people who don't have anyone to take care of them? Why are there people like Mr. and Mrs. Berkovich who don't have children to take care of and yet there are children who don't have families?"

Susan didn't know the answer. "You should try and get some sleep, Lu."

"But why? Susan?"

"I don't know. I'm tired Lucy. We have school tomorrow. Go to sleep."

Silence fell over the room as Susan closed her eyes. She started to relax, her breathing became softer.

"Susan?"

Susan's eyes fluttered open. The eldest Pevensie daughter was agitated. Yet she still managed to keep her voice even when she asked, "Yes Lucy?"

"I know someday there will be a home for all children who need them."

Susan's agitation subsided. When one hears a younger sibling say with such confidence that they were sure something would happen- even despite the impossibilities- you couldn't just break the horrible news to them.

No response came from Lucy. Susan waited for a few moments...wondering why her sister had fallen silent. However, when her sister's breathing started to lighten, the oldest Pevensie daughter realized that her sister had fallen asleep.

Later that night Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie decided to turn into bed. The only light that they had came from a little green lamp. The rest of the room consisted of the bed that they shared, a shelf where the Pevensie parents kept their reading materials, a dresser in which they placed their clothes and on top of which sat a mirror. As John finished undressing, he slipped on a pair of blue jim-jams and a blue nightshirt with white buttons. Helen meanwhile had already slipped on a tan-brown nightgown. She was at work cleaning the lipstick from her mouth and removing the makeup she had applied earlier in the evening before Mr. Berkovich had arrived. Once she had finished, she proceeded to remove her jewelery- which included a beautiful heart necklace her mother had given her when she had turned eighteen, her wedding band, and a watch that Mr. Pevensie had given her as a birthday gift last year (she had refused to get any bracelets. She didn't want it getting lost while she was working around the house.) Finally she got up from her seat in front of a small mirror and walked over to the bed. Crawling in, Mr. Pevensie held his arms wide for her and embraced her. They kissed once she had settled down into the red sheets. They both smiled at one another.

"Tonight went rather well," John said as he took his wife's hand in his own.

Helen nodded and gently took her husband's other hand in hers. "It's so wonderful to hear that Otto and Elsa are finally going to be able to bring in foster children. They've tried for so many years. Poor Elsa kept telling me it broke her heart every time they tried and they had no luck. Sometimes whenever I had one of the children with me, I could always see a mournful gaze in her eyes."

"I'm glad Peter and Susan agreed that they would be willing to reach out to the children once they've arrived."

"They have good hearts."

"Thanks to you," Mr. Pevensie said.

Helen smiled. "Come now, you had a hand in it as well. Lord knows that I'm not capable of being kind all the time."

"We both came a long way," Mr. Pevensie said. "We were both rather different people then what we used to be. When I was growing up, my family grew up being very anti-Semitic. I remember when I was in school, I grew up alongside boys who would use all sorts of anti-Semitic slurs and I'd join them. Some of my classmates were Jewish and I remember while I didn't necessarily join in the teasing, I didn't step in to stop it. Then again, I didn't disagree with them back then."

Helen nodded. "When I was a little girl in school, I never met any Jews until I was about sixteen. A couple of them moved into my neighborhood. I remember people were rather beastly to them. I wasn't exactly kind to them at all either. I'd just ignore them and pretend that they weren't there. I think I only ever talked to them once, and that was just to say excuse me as I made my way through the grocer's and I accidentally bumped into one of them."

"It wasn't until I finally met them and actually got to learn about them and their culture that I finally came to realize how awful I had truly been," John recalled. "I was in a class, and one of my classmates and I were the ones who did the best in it. I worked alongside him in our group coursework. I didn't realize that he was Jewish until a few months after I met him- and by then we had already drunk together several times and had shared many memories. After I've been friends with him for so long, I couldn't just turn my nose and look the other way. I learned more about Jews and I eventually warmed up to them, and now look at me. I'm one of their more vocal supporters and now one of my best friends is a Jew!"

"I started warming up to them after the Great War," Helen recounted her tale. "After my father got back from the service (God bless his soul) he came home with stories about how Jewish men had saved his life in the trenches and he had gotten severely wounded."

"Are you referring to how he got his limp?"

"The exact one. He's lucky that he only got a limp and didn't have to lose his leg. He had only been shot and lying in agony for an hour before a Jewish man had come across him. At the time my father hadn't seen what he was- he was just desperate to get medical help. The man had heard him and somehow, he decided to help my father. When my father woke up in a bed, he learned that he had a limp. However, his leg had been saved. It was a Jewish man who had helped bring him to the medical tents, and a Jewish doctor who had operated on him. Ever since, my father spoke very highly of the Jews. I remember it knocked my mother and sister in a spiral, because they were (and are as you are very well aware) still very anti-Semitic. I however found myself drawn to my father's stories and became inspired to learn more about them. I poured over textbooks and spoke to actual Jews as they were coming back from a synagogue. Finally, I realized that anti-Semitism is nothing more than a prejudice and isn't based on a reality. Anti-Semitism was no longer something I could partake in.

"I'm quite glad that I decided to put it behind me. Elsa and Otto Berkovich are two of my good friends and I can't imagine life without them in it."

"Ever since good old Professor Kirke retired, I haven't had too many friends," agreed John. "Otto to this day remains one of my greatest friends that I've ever had."

"I just hope that the foster children and our children will be able to become friends too," Helen sighed.

"We all made it clear that they didn't have to be the best of friends. We just asked Peter and Susan to be there to help them when they need it. You can't force friendship. All you can do is hope that there's a spark."

"Every day when they get home from school, I hope and pray that they won't come back filled with the same kind of hatred that seems to permeate with the rest of the world."

"Well if they start, we'll just have to keep reiterating the right direction."

"I imagine it will be hard for all of them," Helen said. "Corner House and St. Mary's are schools with children from many walks of life. The people there are more likely to walk roads where there's plenty of hatred. Not just to Jews, but to all kinds of people. With these foster children being Jewish, German immigrants who probably know very little English...and the fact that the children probably have very anti-Semitic classmates, what are the chances that they will become friends, let alone remain so?

"We can only hope," agreed Mr. Pevensie. "Let's not be so ready to worry just yet. Both Peter and Susan have good heads on their shoulders, and Edmund and Lucy are developing them. Time will tell, and even then there's still a chance. Right now, Otto and Elsa need our support. We'll take things as they come."

Helen nodded and smiled. "As each day demands."

John kissed her temple. Then her lips. "Right."

Helen reached over and turned out the light. They took a couple of moments to utter silent prayers. Then the Pevensie couple kissed one another on the lips, and wished one another goodnight. For like their children, there was much that they would have to do.

A few weeks passed without any mention of Mr. Berkovich or the two children coming from Germany. Yet all four of the Pevensies knew it would be a matter of time before they did arrive. Life went on as usual. The Pevensies went to and from their respective schools. Mr. Pevensie went to work, and Mrs. Pevensie stayed home to take care of the house chores while everyone else was left. Occasionally going out so that she could do some grocery shopping or else to have a lovely morning stroll with Mrs. Berkovich- who was nearly more excited about the arrival of the children than her husband.

"Once they arrive, I'm going to take them shopping and we're going to pick out some clothes for them. They will need something, I would imagine. I don't know how many clothes they have, what with them being from an orphanage that burned down."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea," Mrs. Pevensie smiled.

"We're also going to take them to the schools and have the Headmaster and Headmistress show them around. I'm hoping that they do love it there."

"I'm sure they'll like them well enough. Just don't be surprised if they aren't absolutely thrilled. It's typical for children of school-age not to be. Of all my children, Susan seems to be the only one who really enjoys it. Peter and Edmund would rather be running about, and while Lucy loves having stories read to her, she would just as much like to join them in their adventures."

"How strange," remarked Mrs. Berkovich. "They do know that their father is a university professor?"

Mrs. Pevensie chuckled. "Elsa, there's something you will find quickly once you start taking care of the children. They will have their own minds. Their own thoughts and opinions. All you can do is hope to point them in the right direction. I remember when I was Lucy's age, I had little interest in school."

"I'm kind of worried about our foster children's education. Otto and I are wondering if we should have them get some lessons to help make up for any gaps that there could be."

"Was proper education given to them?"

"I don't know to be honest. With everything that's happening over in Germany right now, I'm hoping that they have gotten at least some decent education. That they can at least read and write and speak at a level that is appropriate for their age."

"How about their English? Do they know any?"

"Otto and I will have to see how much they may know. To be honest, I have a feeling that they may not know any. Which is fine, Otto and I converse with one another in German when we are at home unless we have guests over who speak English. German will always be our mother-language. Learning English will definitely be on the list of things we tutor them in on the side."

"I'm sure they will do fine, Elsa. Don't forget, they have you and your husband to help them along."

"How is it that you have more confidence in our ability than we do in our own?"

Mrs. Pevensie smiled and laughed. "I've been raising four children, I know when people will make good parents."

"I don't know if I'm ready for this," Mrs. Berkovich admitted. "It all seems so much. One moment Otto and I are wondering what our lives would be like if God had allowed us to have children. Now we're going to have two of them coming by tomorrow!"

"I remember feeling the same way when I first found out that I was pregnant with Peter. It was our first child, so the labor was an all new experience for John and I. Afterward when he was born, we were absolutely beyond ourselves. Afraid to let anyone hold him, afraid to let him out of our sight for five minutes. Finally my mother scolded us after my sister- Alberta- tried holding Peter while I was supposed to be helping John and my father with cleaning the table. She told us that if we kept reacting the way we did whenever anyone tried to hold Peter, the poor child would be suffocated by our affection. When we realized that we were going to be having Susan, we realized that we couldn't continue being so rigid.

"My point is- you can read all the books and get all the advice from your parents or friends or outside sources that you can possibly get. It doesn't matter however, because each situation is different. Just like each person is different, each family isn't alike. Nobody is ready to become a parent. It's just a skill that humans have born within them and they don't even realize it. Some are just better at tapping into it than others."

"You believe that Otto and I will be able to do it?"

"I know that you will," reassured Mrs. Pevensie.

**AN: I took note of the questions that were asked, and decided that I would answer them in the story as they progress. Of course, if they just stem more questions, all the better! Guess that means I'm doing something great! Maybe you can come up with your own answers.**

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Going to take a few moments to thank my friend and beta, Nothing Really Specific. If you can folks, I do highly recommend that you go and read his fics. They truly are pretty good. **

Chapter Three

The Pevensies and Schurns Are Introduced

The next day came, and as Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie promised, the children were to meet the two children that the Berkovich's had taken in.

Once the children had gotten out of school, the children sat down and at the urging of their mother did their schoolwork. Their mother informed them that their father would be meeting them at Mr. Berkovich's house (considering his home was closer to the university than the Pevensie family's).

Once everyone had finished, Mrs. Pevensie urged the children to put on their coats. She then led them to the car. Once everyone was inside, they drove down the London streets. By now night had settled on the city and the lamp-posts were flickering on, guiding the way for the family. Along with the glow of the lamp-post was the glow of candles set in windows. Lights of green, red, purple, and white hung out along the walls of homes, businesses, and apartment buildings. Enchanted by the lights, the children couldn't help but smile and point them out. Many of the shops and cafe were starting to close for the evening, and the bars were getting ready for business. It was Lucy who excitedly pointed out a young couple sitting on a bench, the man holding onto the leash of a dalmatian. People were walking down the street; some leading children along, who were just as dazzled by the lights and the activity as the Pevensies were.

The Pevensies arrived at the residence of the Berkovich's. It was a nice little home, just one of five that were all connected by attics. The glow of lamps could be seen in the windows. Once Mrs. Pevensie parked the car and they had all clambered out, they made their way their down the path that led to the Berkovich's door.

Mrs. Pevensie knocked. It took only a matter of seconds before a servant- a short, kindly black woman named Bella (whom had been employed by the Berkovich's since they had first arrived to London back about ten years ago). The children and their mother greeted the woman with warm smiles and kind greetings as they entered the home. Once Bella had taken their coats- Mrs. Berkovich made her way out of the kitchen to greet them. Mr. Pevensie followed her and was smiling as he embraced his children warmly and wrapped an arm affectionately around his wife. "So, shall we go on ahead then?"

"Yes," Elsa said. "Come along everyone. It's time for introductions to be made."

They made their way into the dining area, which was of a simplistic yet surprisingly grand design. A painting of the prophet Moses parting the Red Sea hung on the wall while a painting of a Star of David hung on the other. A picture of Mr. and Mrs. Berkovich when they were both rather young sat on a counter. There weren't any Christmas decorations aside for a figurine of Father Christmas holding a sack atop his shoulder on a lovely shelf that also held various other knick-knacks both of Jewish and non-Jewish tradition. A couple of them were actually snow globes featuring German cities such as Berlin and Dresden.

Of course, the children showed a more particular interest in the Schurns. They were- as the Berkovich's had mentioned- a sister and a brother. The girl was between Peter's and Susan's age, and the boy was between Susan's and Edmund's. They were quite thin- the girl's hair was dark, thick and wavy, and framed a beautiful face. Yet when one looked into her brown eyes only a fool wouldn't be able to decipher her misery and pain. For her eyes bore no fondness her past and no promise of a future, save for a small glimmer, which was really the reflection of a candle on the table. As for her brother- he was thin and about Edmund's height. Surprisingly, his hair was of a lighter color than his sister's- a blonde hue that was typically associated with what the Nazis identified as a "sign of Aryan bloodline." Both of them had brown eyes and the stereotypical noses associated with Jews.

"Magda and Ansel, these are Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie." Mr. Berkovich introduced. With each name that he mentioned, he stood behind them and placed a hand on their shoulders so that the children knew whom he was talking about.

Mr. Berkovich then walked over to Mrs. Pevensie and introduced the children to her. As he introduced the girl (Magda) and the boy (Ansel), there was the shaking of hands. As the Pevensies shook the hands of the children, they found that Magda and Ansel had quite firm grips- as if those hands were made of iron and were trying to crush them. Their smiles of greeting were also fleeting, melting like sugar in water. Giving the children the slight impression that something was wrong.

"How come they're not smiling?" Lucy whispered to Susan.

"Did we do something wrong?" Edmund asked Peter.

Neither of the eldest Pevensies knew. Nor was there time to ask the children if there was- for now everyone was being urged to the table so that the meal could be served.

Once everyone had sat down, Bella made her way into the kitchen with platters in hand. Once she had sat the silverware as well, Mr. Berkovich thanked the woman and invited her to join the table.

Glancing at how there was very little room at the table with all the food, the six Pevensies, the two Schurns, and the two Berkovichs, she shook her head. "If you please it Sir, but I don't believe that there is any room for me here at the table."

Mr. Berkovich shook his head and Mrs. Berkovich exclaimed, "Nonsense! There is always room for any kind folk such as yourself to join us, Bella. Even if you are a servant."

"Yes, please do join us," requested Mrs. Pevensie. "A woman such as yourself deserves to be treated with the same respect as your employers."

A smile crossed Bella's face that seemed to brighten the whole table (aside for the part where Magda and Ansel sat). "Well, if it's insisted."

As the maidservant pulled up a chair to sit down (the Berkovichs had plenty considering the Pevensies were guests that came by regularly as well as other keynote faculty and staff of the university, and from Elsa's job as a secretary to a local dentistry) to join them, the Pevensie children couldn't help but notice the slight uneasiness that the Schurns exhibited when she did. Susan, who sat next to Ansel, noticed that the boy had reached underneath the table for his sister's hand and she took it in his, giving it a squeeze of reassurance. He in turn squeezed hers as Bella sat down completely.

Turning to Mr. and Mrs. Berkovich- Bella said, "Thank you, you're both kind."

"No, thank you Bella," Mr. Berkovich said, "If it were it not for you, we would not have the food that we have here before us."

"Agreed," Mrs. Berkovich confirmed. She turned to the Schurns, "Children, what do you say to Bella?"

The two children looked to each other with eyebrows raised. After a few moments pause, Magda spoke in a slow, uncertain manner as if she were trying to perfect every syllable. Being German and having never learned English, she had very little knowledge of the language, and wanted to make a good first impression. "Th-thank...you?"

"Good," said Mrs. Berkovich. Turning to Ansel, she said, "What do you say?"

The boy took on a disgruntled look. As if him having to say the words "thank you" were the equivalent of him having a tooth pulled. Still after some prodding from his sister, he said, "Th-thank you, Bella."

Bella smiled kindly at them. "You're most welcome."

Mr. Berkovich turned to everyone at the table. "Shall we all now thank the One who has blessed our circumstances that brought us all here today?"

"Let's," said Mrs. Pevensie.

Bella nodded her head.

It was always an interesting occasion when the two families came together and uttered prayers over the meal. While the Pevensies were of Catholic belief, the Berkovichs of course were Jewish, and now there was the added presence of Bella- who identified herself with the Church of England. As all the heads bowed and hands were joined together, Mr. Berkovich led the group together in an interfaith prayer. Thanking the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for supplying all the different kinds of sustenance. He also added a prayer of thanks that even though they all came from different backgrounds, that they were all allowed to gather together as friends in a nation's government that was more welcoming and accepting than those of others. Last but not least, he said thanks that Magda and Ansel had been able to come to England and to be a part of their lives as well as their meals and expressed hope that there would be more such as it.

When the prayer was finished, everyone began to eat. As silverware clanked and dishes were passed around, the Pevensies found that the food they were eating was rather delicious. Smoked slices of hake were placed on eggs, and were cooked with brown onions, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil. Bella had also sliced some carrots. Slices of bread from a local Jewish bakery were also provided for the meal. The young Pevensie children of course weren't quite surprised that they enjoyed the food. Both Mrs. Berkovich and Bella were great cooks in their own right. When it was something they couldn't make, both women knew of some fine places in order to look.

Glancing at the Schurns as she ate, Susan noticed that the children didn't seem to enjoy it as much. While the girl was making an attempt at trying the food, the boy was poking at it with his silverware. A look of uncertainty riddled his face.

Mrs. Berkovich caught on to look quickly. "Ansel? Is there something wrong?"

Ansel didn't say anything.

Mrs. Berkovich tried again, except this time switching to German. The language was rough and gravelly sounding to the ears of the Pevensies. Edmund and Lucy couldn't help but wonder if it were possible that she had rocks rolling around in her throat.

"Ich bin nicht hungrig," responded Ansel.

"What did he say?" Peter asked, looking to his father. He knew that he knew some German. Both of them had fathers who fought in Germany during the Great War, and Mr. Pevensie later went there to study abroad during his second year as a university student.

It was Mr. Berkovich that responded, "Ansel said that he isn't very hungry."

"Why doesn't he speak English?" Edmund asked.

Mrs. Pevensie looked at her youngest son in disbelief. "Edmund! That was rather rude! You apologize to Ansel."

"Sorry," he said to Ansel. It was legitimate sorrow. The youngest Pevensie boy hadn't meant to come off as rude. He was merely curious.

A sour expression appeared on Ansel's face. The young Pevensie children's eyes widened. They had seen that look plenty of times in school. It was the expression of a fellow schoolmate who completely despised you because he got in trouble and you didn't. He didn't say anything though, instead he took on a sulky look when Mr. Berkovich said something in German that sounded something along the lines of a rebuke. The boy continued to poke out his plate, only eating a couple of bites.

Mrs. Pevensie turned to the Berkovich. "I sincerely apologize."

Mrs. Berkovich shook her head. "Fret not."

Mr. Berkovich turned to Edmund. "Magda and Ansel are from an orphanage that burned down in Berlin only a few weeks ago. While their education is decent, they know very little English. Magda has more knowledge than her brother."

"Forgiffen uss," pleaded Magda. "Zings haf been...deeffeekult fur uss zee pass kuple yeers."

All the young Pevensies could do was blink. Confusion swam across their faces as they looked to one another, finally the looks rested on their father. Mr. Pevensie's face wasn't riddled by confusion. Neither was their mother's. Instead, both of the grown Pevensies had a look of pity. Which they could see were actually making Magda silenter than a grave and Ansel was squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

The two Pevensie adults turned to the two Berkovich. "As you can see, even though she speaks English...her accent is very rough."

"They are still young yet though," said Mrs. Berkovich. "I started learning English when I was Magda's age, and my accent faded. With some tutoring, we're hoping that eventually they'll be able to speak it more clear and precise."

Ansel's eyebrows rose and he spat out some more words in German that none of the young Pevensies understood other than something that sounded like "English."

While the exchange that followed couldn't be understood by the Pevensie children, Mr. Pevensie understood every word, and while Mrs. Pevensie wasn't fluent in the language (she had chosen instead to focus on French during her studies) she understood some of the words and phrases since John had decided to teach her a few and she had received more tutoring from Elsa since they had become friends. (The language still didn't stick as well as French, but should she'd ever be in a situation where it was needed she'd manage.)

The exchange was as followed:

"I don't want to learn English!" Ansel had cried.

"We're sorry Ansel," Mr. Berkovich had said, "but you are in a different country now. You have to learn the language that most of the people speak."

"Magda and I didn't ask to be brought here! We were made to come here against our will!"

"You should consider yourself lucky that you are here at all," Mrs. Berkovich chastised. "Others in your position weren't as lucky."

"How is this lucky?" asked Ansel. "Magda and I are many leagues from home! We are in a completely different country from our own, one where we don't even know the language! We're staying with utter strangers! The ones who took charge of us in the orphanage were cruel, but at least we knew who they were! All we know about the two of you are that you're from our country, yet you might as well have been born British!"

"If it weren't for England, something terrible could have happened to us, to you, or Magda," said Elsa.

"How would you know?" asked Magda, cutting into the conversation. "Neither of you have lived in Germany for years! How would any of you know what's happening to the Jews over there? Do you hear rumors from old friends or something? How do you know more about what's happening there than we do? Nobody really knows what's happening over there! People are being taken away. For all we know they could just be just taking them out of a different country like England took us!"

"Whatever is happening there is no good. You're safer here than you are in Berlin, trust us."

"There is no safety for Jews!" cried Ansel. "The whole world hates us! We've always have been and always will be! Why would Britain want us here? We heard people whisper about us on the train here! People referred to us as Jewish swine and kosher dogs! At least when were being called that we were being done so back in our country and we could understand that they were giving us insult!"

"That will be enough!" shouted Mrs. Berkovich. "Children, the two of you are excused from this table. You can come back down and eat when the two of you can act decently here at the table. Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie have been rather too kind and accepting of your behavior."

"They're British," spat Magda. "Of course they like to act like they're all kind. That's all they ever do. Say that they're providing culture to everyone, really just taking everything for themselves."

"To bed," repeated Mr. Berkovich.

The two young children angrily got up from their seats. Once they were out of the kitchen, Mr. Berkovich sighed and Mrs. Berkovich shook her head. All the Pevensies could do was just awkwardly pretend that they were enjoying the meal, and Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie found themselves in uncomfortable silence, unable to say anything.

It was Bella who broke the silence. "Sir? Madame? Should I clean their plates?"

Both of the Berkovich just looked to the other and then turned to Bella. "That won't be necessary, Bella. We will simply leave it until we say it's time that they can come down and join us once more."

"Maybe we should leave," Mrs. Pevensie offered. "We wouldn't want to be intruding on such a serious matter."

Elsa shook her head, her voice was quite miserable as she said, "You don't have to leave" She pushed her plate to the side. "Though I do believe I'm not hungry anymore."

Bella got out of her chair and took the plate. "I will go and wash the dishes, Madame." She turned to the Pevensies. "Are the guests still hungry?"

Nobody was hungry now. When an argument has been had at a table, one usually doesn't maintain their appetite. As Bella kindly took the dinnerware and silverware of all the guests from the table, she shook her head and said, "Such a shame. It did seem as though this would be a lovely meal together."

Once Bella was out of the kitchen and the table had been cleared, Mrs. Pevensie turned to Peter and Susan. "Why don't the two of you take Ed and Lu and go and wait for Mummy and Daddy in the sitting room? Find a way of occupying yourselves. Though be sure not to break anything. Mummy and Daddy will come get you when it's time for us to go."

Without saying a word, the four children did. Once the dining room was clear and they could hear the children taking an interest in some of the books that Mr. and Mrs. Berkovich had on a bookshelf, Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie looked to their friends. "Sounds like they've been having a rather rough time," Helen said.

"They don't seem to be rather fond of visitors," remarked John.

Elsa sighed and cupped her forehead in her hands. "Is it that obvious?"

Otto shook his head. "No, they most certainly aren't. In fact it seems that none of the children are really fond of any of the people that they have met here."

"Perhaps it was too soon," suggested Mrs. Pevensie. "John and I should have waited for the children to meet one another when the children were more adjusted."

"They'd have to learn adjust soon enough," Elsa said. "They'll be starting school on Monday."

"John and I were talking about that after Otto had left. Are the two of you sure it's a good idea to be sending them to those schools?"

"Corner House and St. Mary's both have very good programs to help the children learn English. We're confident that they'll be able to speak it reasonably well in no time."

"I think what Helen means," said Mr. Pevensie, "is if it's a good idea to stick them in that kind of environment of people? If they don't like the children they just met, they're not going to like being in a classroom with dozens more of them."

"Right now the children are just upset," said Otto. "Their orphanage- probably the only place that they could consistently call 'a home' as terrible as it may have been- burned down. Their country doesn't want them. Nobody else would take them in. Those who would are disappearing all the time and being taken to God only knows what. Now they're in a country which they've been told all their lives is partly responsible for the very conditions that they were living in before they had the weight of what comes with being a Jew to add to it. That's enough to make any child angry."

"Indeed."

"I was actually hoping things would be more smoother," Elsa confessed. "I don't know how we're going to be able to handle this at all. The children don't like us or Bella. They barely talk. I knew things would be difficult, but I never imagined that they would be this wild."

"The two of you are doing all that you can. Have patience. The children will eventually warm up to the both of you and I imagine that they will with Bella in due time. As you said, things are hard on them at this moment. Everyone's going to have to make some adjustments."

"How do the two of you handle four children? Otto and I are struggling with two, and yet you handle your four as if it were nothing."

"That's because you only see our highlights," reassured Mrs. Pevensie. "Trust us. We know how children can be. Ours can be devils as much as they can be angels."

"I don't know if we can handle this," admitted Mr. Berkovich.

"Never lose hope. If anything else, never lose hope. The moment you lose hope is the second that you lose everything. Have patience and trust that all will work out. It may not happen now, but things will get better."

"Exactly," said Mr. Pevensie. "The two of you will do fine. You've only had them for a few days. It's going to take some time. Give it to Magda and Ansel. Let them discover England for themselves. They'll warm up to the idea of being here eventually."

Mr. Berkovich sighed. "I hope you're right, John. With how things are looking...I just hope that you're right."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Ich bin nicht hungrig- I'm not hungry.**

**I apologize if the phrasing is wrong. I used a translator. I'm still trying to learn German. **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Warning. There are incidences of people saying anti-Semitic things throughout this chapter. I want to make it clear that I condemn such words and phrases. The only reason why I write them is so that we can actually get a picture of how despised Jews were at this time period (and technically still are at times.)**

**Kind of wondering what happened to my reviewers lately? Is anyone out there?**

Chapter Four

Willkommen to Corner House

The Pevensie family got home about an hour later. Taking note of the time, Mrs. Pevensie told the children that it was best that they be off to bed. The children didn't argue or fuss. After everything they had seen that evening, all of them were surprised by how exhausted they were. Despite the desire to discuss what had occurred, none of the children mentioned it. When it was time for the Pevensie parents to turn in for bed, neither one of them made any mention of the subject. Neither one of them had to, for the sadness in their eyes was more than enough for them to tell that the other wasn't too happy about the evening's outcome.

The night passed. An hour before the children were to be woken so that they could get ready for school, Mr. and Mrs. Pevensie crawled out of bed and threw on their bathrobes. For years now, the two of them followed the same morning routine. They'd get up an hour before the children were to awake, so that they could have some alone time over a cup of coffee and a quick breakfast before John would have to go off to work and Helen would see the children off to school. This morning the breakfast consisted of toast with butter, roasted mushrooms, eggs and a couple of links of sausage- which the two of them made together. The husband and wife took seats across from one another and ate their breakfast, sipping their coffee as they did.

They were both quiet at first. It was sort of silence that befell a couple who both wanted to discuss a rather important matter...yet neither one of them knew how to start the conversation because the subject which would be brought forward was painstaking to even think about.

After a couple of minutes where the only sounds was the clinking of silverware, Helen asked, "What should we tell the children?"

John looked up from his plate, chewed the food he had placed in his mouth, and swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what should we tell the children? How do we explain to them that the Schurns won't be very easy to warm up to and may not want to be their friends immediately, if at all?"

"We don't know for certain if that's true."

"John. The Schurns didn't even so much as stir from their rooms until after you and I were heading out the door with the children."

Mr. Pevensie sighed. He took a sip of his coffee and reached for his pipe and some tobacco. As he proceeded to fill and then to light it, he breathed in the smoke. Once he had let it out, he handed the pipe to his wife. Who proceeded to take a puff from it before returning it to him.

After letting the smoke roll out of her through her mouth, Mrs. Pevensie took a sip of her own coffee. The warmth from the cup wrapped itself around her hands as she herself was doing to the cup. "I'm not saying that we should give up, John," she said. "I'm not even saying that they should give up. I just don't think we should go on filling their hearts and minds with false hopes."

John nodded, "You're right, darling. It was folly to think that friendship would just spring forth between the Schurns and our children." He laughed. "I guess I was just hoping that perhaps whatever terrible things are happening, that some good will come about. I can't imagine what it must be like to be separated from everything that you once knew. Those children only have each other now. I don't know how I would react if my brother and I were suddenly taken away from everything that we knew."

"Taken away, but at least they're safe." said Helen. "Those children are safer here in London than they were there in Berlin. God only knows what's happening to all of those people whom Hitler has ordered to be taken away."

"You've read the magazines. What do you think is happening there?"

Helen sighed and closed her eyes. She tilted her head and looked down at her mug, which was now halfway empty. "To be honest, I don't know. Anything that I read is merely a rumor. Some of it just sounds rather ludicrous. Elsa tells me that she hears whispering that they're rounding all of those people up and taking them away. Most of those are rumors though, there's no word for certain. Many argue that if they're being taken away to someplace dangerous, how can anyone possibly get back in order to start the rumor?"

"What do you think?"

Helen shook her head. "I don't know. The argument makes some sense. Still, there's no telling what may really be happening. Not for normal people like us. I will say this though. Whatever is happening, it's not good. Otherwise the Anglicans, the Quakers, and other religious and non-religious leaders wouldn't be rallying in order to bring children from Germany and Austria to England. I just hope that this project has a great turnout."

Her husband reached across the table and held her hand, gently grasping it in reassurance. In a soft voice he uttered, "It's alright to admit it, Helen. I'm scared too."

Once again silence fell over the table. They remained like that for a few moments. The two of them looking at each other, hands held in reassurance, half-eaten breakfast and half-drank coffee resting on the table. In those moments, both John and Helen felt more certain and much less afraid. Despite the uneasiness that they had about the future, they were confident and took comfort in the fact that no matter what happened- they would always have one another. That nothing would ever separate them.

Finally, Mr. Pevensie and Mrs. Pevensie looked at their watches and realized that it was time that they wake the children, and that John ought to be heading to work.

Before long, the four children were awake and sitting at the table. They all had uncombed hair, were wearing their jim-jams with robes over them, and were rather hungry. As Mrs. Pevensie set the finished breakfast out on the table for them all, Mr. Pevensie went around the table and told his children that he's see them later after work. He kissed the tops of the girls' heads, and he ruffled the boys' hair and patted their shoulders.

"Dad," Peter said, turning in his chair as his father made his way to the door.

"Yes Peter?" Mr. Pevensie threw on his coat and hat on his head, then began working on tying his red scarf around his neck.

"Should we still try and reach out to the Schurn children?"

Susan joined the conversation. "Yes, Daddy. Should we?"

"They didn't seem all that eager to be friends," Edmund remarked as he took a bite of his food and took a sip of his cup of milk.

"They frighten me," Lucy admitted.

John finished tying his scarf and bent down to pick up his suitcase, which held a bunch of graded exams written by his college students. He looked up at his wife and saw that she was looking at him with the same expectation on her face as the children were looking at him. He indicated with his facial expression- a slight frown with raised eyebrows- that he didn't quite know how to respond.

Helen tilted her head in response and just shrugged her shoulders.

At a loss, John searched through his mind for anything to say. There was a little voice in his head that told him he should tell the children not to try too hard. So he decided to tell them that. "Don't try and force your friendship, children. Reach out to them, absolutely. Let things play out for a bit. Just remember, you can't make anyone like you. When the time comes, the Schurns will accept your offer of friendship. If not, then perhaps it's for the better. It could mean that life has something else in store for not just them, but also for you."

The children asked no more questions, perfectly content with their father's response, even if they weren't quite certain what he meant. As the children went back to their meal, Mrs. Pevensie went over to her husband. The couple embraced one another, their love reflected in the warmth that they shared and the kiss that they exchanged (which of course resulted in the children sticking out their tongues in disgust and made everyone laugh).

Pulling away briefly, Helen looked at her husband. The two of them smiled. "Well spoken, darling."

John chuckled softly. "I was hoping so, I had no other ideas."

"Well, the one you had sufficed." she rubbed his arms. Helen pecked him on the cheek, "Now then, you had better be going. Don't want to be late for work."

John kissed her. "Have a good day, my dear."

"You too."

"Have a lovely day at school, children," Mr. Pevensie called to them.

As the Pevensies said goodbye, their father opened the door and left. Mrs. Pevensie turned to the children and reminded them that they would have to leave for school soon. Quickly, the children finished their breakfast and took turns brushing their teeth. When finished, they changed into their school uniforms and met their mother downstairs. Once she had helped Lucy with slipping on her coat, their mother turned to them and said, "I want you all to have a lovely day at school today. Remember, be good and pay attention in class."

"We will, Mum," Peter said.

"Children, if you should happen across the Schurns, just be kind and smile at them. Say hello and invite them to sit next to you at lunch or to play with you when it's time for recess. If they don't respond kindly, just leave them be. If they do, then all the better."

"We'll remember," Susan said.

"Edmund, Headmaster Turner sent me a letter. He requests that you desist in correcting your professors in front of the class."

Edmund raised an eyebrow. "Even if he spells something wrong?"

"Just let him know after class."

The children said goodbye to their mother, and then with Peter leading them, they all began making their way to their schools. The streets were filled with other schoolchildren making their way to school, and mothers waited outside on the steps, waving goodbye to them as the children walked. Most of the children in this neighborhood were attending either St. Mary's or Corner House. They didn't take long for them to reach, they were only a couple streets down from where they lived.

The two schools were right across the street from each other. Corner House was an all-boys school established in London in the early seventeenth century for British youth. Approximately a hundred years later its sister school- St. Mary's- was founded. Originally when established, the schools were made for British children whose parents could afford to send them to school and gave the children an education based on curriculum approved by the Anglican church. Later they were opened to the public and became less strict in its Anglican teaching, becoming more accepting towards people of other faith groups- including Catholics, Presbyterians, Evangelicals, and even non-Christians such as Jews and Muslims. However the air of English Church influence still lay heavily, as many of the teachers were either Anglican priests or their wives, while others had other connections to the Church of England.

Peter and Edmund said goodbye to their sisters and made their way through the gates. Other schoolboys were waiting outside, laughing and playing around. Still others were already making their way into the building. Since there was a three year gap between the two brothers, they wouldn't be attending most of the same classes together. (Edmund was in his third year of primary, and Peter was in his sixth.) However, the two brothers knew that because Ansel was a year below Peter and one above Edmund, the chances were that they were going to run into him.

"I don't know if I like him, to be honest," Edmund put bluntly.

"He didn't seem to like us all that much when we all met," acknowledged Peter. "We still need to be willing to accept him, Edmund. Mum and Dad are right, there aren't going to be too many people here who are going to take kindly to Ansel. By the end of it all, we may be all whom he may have to turn to for friends."

"Joy. Everyone will see that he's a foreigner. If they see him with us, we'll get pummeled along with him in the schoolyard."

"Nobody's going to pummel us, Edmund," the eldest Pevensie reassured his little brother. "Especially you. They'll have to go through me before they can even try. As long as I'm here, no one will place their hands on you."

"I feel much safer already," the dark-haired Pevensie boy retorted.

Peter ignored his brother's sarcastic remark. Not even a few seconds after his brother's remark, the school bell rang and monitors who were waiting outside were now urging the children to get inside the building. The two brothers exchanged see you in the halls, and then began making their way to their classes. Joining the crowds of school-children who were already splitting themselves up by year and heading in the directions where most of their classes would be located.

"Peter!" a voice called.

The eldest Pevensie turned around and he was all but nearly tackled by a schoolmate of his, a boy named Daniel Windsor. Daniel had raven-black hair and slightly tanned skin. The boy also stood just an inch shorter than Peter, and was of skinny frame with thin shoulders. Walking alongside the black-haired boy was another boy. This one had red hair and brown eyes. He was taller than both Peter and Daniel, and his shoulders were broader. His teeth were also slightly crooked. This boy was named Neville Cottonfield. Both of the boys were grinning at him as they made their way over to him. Before long, all three of the boys were laughing. Excitedly talking about how things they had heard their parents discussing, what they heard on their way home from school, and other matters.

As they were approaching their first class, it was Daniel who said, "I heard that there's a new boy coming in."

"Fresh fish!" exclaimed Neville with a goofy smile on his face.

"Get this! I overheard Anthony Sheller talking to his friends. His Dad told him that the new boy is Jewish! And he's from Germany!"

"He's from that rescue operation I bet," said Neville. "The one that the government has going on, the one where they're trying to rescue Jewish children from Germany and Austria."

"He is actually," Peter confirmed.

Daniel's eyes widened. "Now wait, hold on. Pete. How do you know about it?"

"My Dad told me about it. The boy who's coming here is now a foster child to family friends of ours."

Neville shook his head. "Right. I keep forgetting that you and your family are Jew-lovers."

The three of them reached their classroom. "What's that supposed to mean?" Peter asked his friend defensively, raising his eyebrow.

Shaking his head, Neville said, "Nothing. I didn't mean anything by it. I really don't have a problem necessarily with Jews. As long as they don't bother me or get in my way."

Peter wanted to argue, but by the time his friend had finished talking they were already in the classroom. The classroom was rather large, with over forty desks in it. Most of the boys in the classroom were your typical British youth. White, with either blonde, brown, or black hair. Some of the children, such as Peter's friend Neville, had red hair. In the classroom however were three Black boys whom sat scattered across the room. There were also six boys from India, and four Chinese. Of course, many of the children tended to either ignore the ones who were different from them. Most of them were either born in Britain, or else were either second or third generation immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, Whales, or some other European country including: Germany, France, Sweden, even Italy, Poland and the Soviet Union.

As Peter took a seat next to his friends, he saw the teacher- a rather old man with white hair and steel-gray eyes named Mr. Loy. Though his shoulders were bent, he had the air about him that showed he had once been a strong man in his youth. His nose was crooked, suggesting that it had taken one too many blows. He held a pipe in his hand, and even now smoke billowed from it. However, Peter didn't really focus on him so much as he did on the person who was walking beside him...

It was Ansel.

The German boy did look rather nervous. Peter could see that his eyes were flicking between the door he had just entered, to the teacher, to class, to the window on the opposite side of the classroom. He held a freshly sharpened pencil in his hand and a notebook in the other. Just like the eldest Pevensie's eyes had befallen the boy, so too could he feel the eyes of every single boy in the classroom moving in Ansel's direction. He felt someone bump his elbow, and he turned to see that Daniel was looking at him with a questioning look and a finger pointed towards the Jewish boy. Knowing that he was asking for confirmation on whether this boy was the Jewish refugee boy they had heard about, Peter nodded.

"Looks rather scrawny," remarked Neville.

Peter couldn't argue against that. Ansel Schurn did look rather small when he was standing up there alongside the professor. Compared to other boys in the class, he certainly weighed less. He looked like he could give Daniel competition as the school's most feather-light student. Whispers floated in the air as the boys took in the strange combination of the typically associated physical features of Germans: the blond hair and pale skin; with those of the Jews, in particular the nose.

"Who brought the rat into the classroom!" one of the boys towards the back shouted.

"Somebody better call the fisherman! We need to throw that one back in the water!"

"You know what that means!" called another. "If it's too cheap, it's probably rotten!"

"Hold on to your coins! He'll pick them up if you drop them!"

Peter felt his heart sink. Despite how miserable he knew that Ansel was, he looked even more so standing in front of the class. One look at the boy's face and Peter could tell that he didn't understand all the words that were being hurled at him. This brought a question to the forefront of his mind. Why was Ansel in a classroom with a group of fifth years? Surely he was supposed to be a fourth year at most.

"That will be enough!" Mr. Loy shouted to the class, picking up a yardstick and slamming it on the desk.

The class fell silent. Everyone knew better than to upset Mr. Loy. He was not one to shy away from punishment. Many a tale was told of how he used his yardstick in order to slam on boys' desks when they weren't paying attention. Those who were being disruptive were known to be made to stay after to write lines. While he may have been old, he had so much experience with his tools of punishment that he didn't need the strength his youth had given him, he compensated with the years of experience he had.

The teacher cleared his throat. "Now then." He turned to the boy. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

Everyone could tell that the boy would rather not. In fact, from the look on his face he didn't like being the center of attention at the current moment. His face was slightly red, his hands were curled into his fists at his sides, and he was shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. The silence that followed Mr. Loy's question was painful for Peter to witness, he couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Ansel.

Finally, the boy worked up some courage to speak. However, as he did, Peter winced. The boy hadn't magically learned English between the time his family and him had left, and now. His voice sounded like he had been gargling rocks, and his accent was especially heavy on the way he pronounced the words. "My name is Ansel Schurn. I...am...frum...Deutschland- dad is, I meen, I am frum Yarrmany."

"By Jove!" exclaimed a boy in the back. "He bloody can't speak English!"

"Oi! German Jew! Vatt are you dooen in Breetone!" a boy shouted mockingly in a terribly fabricated accent.

Soon the entire class broke out in conversation:

"What's he doing here?"

"He needs to go back to first year!"

"Reception is more like it."

"Maybe we ought to send him back to Germany."

"Can't. Hitler don't want him!"

"Send him to America then! They take in all kinds of filth there!"

"Not even the Americans want Jews!"

All Ansel could do was stare dumbly down at his feet. The boy knew that whatever the boys were saying, it wasn't good. He couldn't say anything back though. Not only didn't he know what they were saying, he didn't know how to phrase his comebacks if he could.

Peter felt the air in his chest catch and his face starting to turn red with anger. His hands tightened into fists. "Why don't you let him alone, the lot of you!"

"Hey look everyone! Pevensie's being a Jew lover!" cried one of the boys sitting just on the opposite side of Peter.

Eyes narrowing, Peter looked at the boy who said those words. It was none other than Roland Hendricks. Everyone knew him as one of the cruelest kids in the school. He had a face that was shaped rather like a rat's. His ears were rather large, and his brown hair was rather messy, looking as though a bird had made a nest in it. He sat next to two rather large, and brutish boys who were also among the boys who were jeering at Ansel. Their names were Bradley Feymur and Lionel Pierce. Out of the three of them, it was Roland who was the smartest. However, Roland was too wiry to really fight on his own, his two friends served as his protection. Together the three of them had terrorized the halls of Corner House since first year.

"You're right I am, Hendricks!" called Peter.

"Maybe we ought to send you with the Jew! The rat can have a companion!"

"Watch your mouth, Hendricks!" shouted Neville.

"That will be enough!" roared Mr. Loy over the entire class. Immediately all voices fell silent as the teacher took up his yardstick, and began to wander about the room. His face was redder than a tomato, and his eyes portrayed beastly rage. "I will not have any of these disruptions in my classroom! Period. Some of you may be British subjects outside of this classroom, others may be immigrants and refugees! Jewish or non-Jewish. I don't give a damn! That's who you are outside of my classroom. In this class however, you're all students. It's your duty to keep your mouths shut unless you have questions, and my duty to teach and answer them. You will save your insults for outside!"

"But Mr. Loy-" protested Roland.

Mr. Loy slammed his ruler on Roland's desk, causing the boy to cry out as if he'd actually been struck. "You will be silent, Hendricks! Whether you like it or not, that 'Jewish rat' standing up there is going to be a part of our class. The Headmaster assigned him to this classroom upon the request of the boy's foster parents, to which he agreed. You will keep your petty comments to yourself and be silent.

"As for the rest of you, if I hear one other argument about this boy being here in my class, I will send them to the Dean of Students! Is that clear?"

There were no words. Everyone just nodded.

"Good," the teacher said. He turned to Ansel, who stood still uncomfortably at the front of the class. Everyone listened with confused looks as he all of a sudden began speaking in a different language to him. Hardly any of the boys, Peter included, knew what it was he had said. Yet Ansel quickly took a seat in an empty chair that was available along the middle.

"Willkommen to Corner House, Herr. Schurn." Mr. Loy told Ansel, "It's probably going to be the only one you'll receive here. Now then. If you will all please open to page two hundred in your textbooks. We will begin reading about the history of King William and Queen Mary and the Glorious Revolution."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Hungrig

When the bell rang at St. Mary's, Susan bid her sister farewell until the end of the day. Lucy called her goodbye as Susan turned down the hall which led to her class. The eldest Pevensie daughter held her school supplies close to her breast, her eyes fixed on the floor. All around her girls were talking and laughing as they made their way to their classrooms. Some of them were excitedly talking about how they were going to be visiting relatives in other parts of England for the holidays. Others were talking about what they hoped Father Christmas would bring them.

It wasn't until Susan reached her classroom that she happened upon one of her schoolmates and good friends. Her name was Anwen Howell- a thin girl who was slightly taller than her. Her hair was auburn with tints of gold that could be seen whenever she turned in the light just right. The two girls seemed to be an odd match- for Susan was of average height and of dark hair. There was also the fact that Anwen's family was Welsh and had only just came to England because it was required for her father's job. While she spoke English, the Welsh accent was heavy and peppered every word she spoke, especially in words with lots of vowels. Many schoolgirls liked to bully Anwen because of this, but Susan didn't mind her accent in the slightest. They had actually met when Anwen had shyly asked her if she could borrow some orange paint for a picture. Fascinated by her voice, Susan began to ask her questions about where they came from, and when the girl told her Cardiff, they excitedly talked about the city (for Susan's parents had took her and her brothers, before Lucy was born, there so that Mrs. Pevensie could have some time away from the city during her pregnancy.) They had been friends ever since.

"Su! You're not going to believe what I just saw!"

This caught Susan's attention. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "What did you see, Anwen?"

"I was walking past the Headmistress's office because Mrs. Wellman asked me to run an errand for her. She wanted me to pick up some supplies at the office because we were going to be having a new student coming in! When I went over to get them, I happened to look and there was Headmistress Carlton speaking to a student who didn't look like any English girl I had ever seen! She had dark hair and brown eyes, but her nose was large, and she was speaking with a rather gravelly accent! Turns out she's German! Listen to this...she's also Jewish! Can you believe it?"

Smiling, Susan said, "Actually, I can. I know the family whom the girl is staying with."

This caused Anwen's mouth to drop. "Your family knows a Jewish family?"

"Do you remember when I told you about the Berkovichs?"

"Didn't you say that they were family friends who came over for dinner every now and then?"

"Yes." Susan then went on to explain that the girl her friend had seen was actually staying with the Berkovich's- as well as the girl's brother. She explained that they were among the many children whom the British government were hoping to bring into the country as foster children until they could one day return to Germany.

"What's her name?"

"Her name is Magda Schurn."

"What's she like?"

Susan thought for a few moments. "She seems to be kind of sad. She and her brother were orphaned when they were real young. I don't know much else about their stories aside that they have spent most of their lives in a Jewish orphanage that got burned down during that night when Hitler ordered that all the Jewish businesses and stores and homes to be ransacked."

Anwen's face fell. "Oh, how awful! If she's an orphan from Germany though, how did she end up with your family friends?"

Susan explained what she could about how the British government was now bringing in Jewish children from Germany and Austria. "Mr. Berkovich says that they're going to be staying here in England until they can one day safely return to Germany. He and Mrs. Berkovich applied to be foster parents almost immediately after they heard of the project. They were both rather excited about it."

"Were? What happened?"

"To be honest I'm not sure. My family and I went over to have dinner with the Berkovichs last night. It seems that the children don't really want to be in this country. I mean, that's understandable. I can't imagine what it might be like if I was an orphan and the orphanage I grew up in got burned down. Then having to get on a train and leave the only place you probably ever knew to go to a country that you've never been.

"What's more, they can't speak English rather well," Susan went on. "The girl has a better grasp of it, from the looks of things. She tried speaking it when we were eating dinner at their house. Her brother didn't seem all too happy though. He started a row with Mr. and Mrs. Berkovich in German! His sister I guess from the sounds of her voice jumped in to defend him. None of my siblings or I could understand. I think only our father understood it, since he speaks German."

"Did he tell you what the fight was about?"

Susan shook her head. "No. He didn't mention it. I don't think he and Mum wanted to talk about it."

They soon arrived at their class. Susan made her way over to her desk, and sat down. Anwen sat beside her, and the two girls made themselves comfortable as other girls filed into the classroom. Just like Corner House, St. Mary had large class sizes with many having forty to fifty girls at the least. It wasn't long before many of the seats were filled. Nor did it take long before their teacher- Mrs. Wellman- entered. She was in her late twenties, and the starts of a baby-bump could be seen protruding from her blue maternity dress. Everyone knew that she was the wife of a local Society of Friends clergyman who had just arrived in London a couple years back to teach the local congregation. They were a young couple, and this was their first child. Her chestnut hair was pulled in a braid, and her round glasses made her soft-brown eyes more apparent.

Walking behind Mrs. Wellman was none other than Magda Schurn. Susan took in the sight of the girl she had just seen yesterday. She seemed to be just as nervous now as she did when they had first encountered one another- in fact she definitely seemed more on edge now. Magda's brown eyes took in the sight of all the girls who were now looking at her with questioning glances. Many began to whisper, taking note of the girl's uniform and her hair (which she had in two pig-tails). Susan began to hear some of them whispering about the girl's dark hair, brown eyes, and many exclaimed over how large the girl's nose appeared to be. To Susan's dismay, many girls began to whisper anti-Semitic comments. Others were commenting about how ugly either her face, her hair, or nose, or her uniform was (even though they were all wearing the same uniform.)

"Class," Mrs. Wellman said, getting the attention of the girls. "This here is Magda Schurn. She will be attending our class this year."

Nobody spoke. There was no greeting, not a shout, not a single word. Just a bunch of eyes that stared at the Jewish girl. Magda didn't say anything either. Susan could see from where she sat that the girl was so terrified that she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Her hands fidgeted and clung to the folds of her skirt as if she was desperately trying to cling to reality.

The teacher cleared her throat. "Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself, Magda?"

The girl shook her head. However, Mrs. Wellman wouldn't take no for an answer. "Go ahead Magda. Tell us about yourself. Where are you from?"

Once again, Magda shook her head. "Englisch..." she managed to say, which followed a pause as she desperately searched for words. "Englisch. Not mine first language. Speaken Deutsch- I meen speak German."

Many of the girls began to laugh cruelly. Susan felt her heart shatter for the poor girl. Glancing around, she could see that she was perhaps the only one who wasn't really laughing. Even Anwen, despite her best attempts not to, was covering what was most certainly laugh with her hand. When the girl realized that Susan was looking was right at her, she coughed into her hand and tried to pull herself together.

"That will be enough!" proclaimed Mrs. Wellman.

Immediately the class's laughter began to die off, fading into giggles that were desperately trying to be covered up by hands. Which only resulted in many of them becoming more high-pitched. Many of the girls eagerly began to whisper their friends.

"The laughter will cease this instant, or else I will hold every one here after class," threatened the teacher.

This time the entire class fell silent. Every one knew that Mrs. Wellman was more than fully prepared to follow through on her threat. While she was generally liked- she didn't take any form of nonsense in her classroom, especially bullying. Once when some girls were making fun of a girl during her class, she had made the girls come up to the board and having them write down everything on the board for the class to see. She later kept them after class to write lines saying that they would not bully children while they were in her classroom.

"That's better. Now then. Magda. You can just take a seat at wherever you can find an empty desk. Try and follow along to the lesson as best as you possibly can. If you have any questions about the material that you aren't understanding, be sure to ask me.

"We will now begin learning about the adoption of the English Bill of Rights as part of our literacy hour. Please take out your textbooks and turn to page two hundred and seventy-eight."

As the class went on learning about how the English Bill of Rights was drafted, Susan Pevensie found herself slightly distracted. Without meaning to, whenever Mrs. Wellman wasn't looking in her direction, she found herself sneaking glances in the direction of Magda. From where she sat, the eldest Pevensie daughter could see that the girl was having a horrid time trying to keep up with the class. Looking at the words written on the page with a look of complete loss. Trying to listen to the lesson, but her eyebrows were constantly furrowed and the look on her face showed that she couldn't register what was being spoken.

That was how it was for most of the day. With every activity that took place, Magda would look lost and confused. Sometimes Mrs. Wellman would take a few minutes to let the children look over the reading while she went back to the girl's seat in order to try and catch her up. However, Susan could tell that much of the teacher's explanations were lost in the translation. Poor Magda didn't know enough English to fully understand, and from the looks of things, Mrs. Wellman didn't have much knowledge of German aside for a few phrases.

Whispers continued to pass among the girls as the day progressed. By the time that the morning learning hours were over, Susan was glad to get out. Leaving her books in her desk, she waited until many of the girls had filed out before making her way over to Anwen. Her friend was just as excited to be done with classes for now as the rest of the girls were. "Come on Susan! Let's go! We don't want to be late for lunch! I don't want to wait in the very back of the line!"

"You go on ahead," Susan told her. "Save a couple of seats at our table."

This caused Anwen to raise her eyebrows. "You're not coming?"

"I'm going to wait for Magda. Can you go on and try and save us some spots?"

"I'll try."

It took a couple of minutes before Magda had finished talking with Mrs. Wellman. Susan didn't eavesdrop, but she didn't have to tell that it must have been about the class. Finally, the teacher and Magda stepped out of the classroom. As the teacher proceeded to lock the door behind her, she took notice of Susan. "Can I help you with anything, Susan Pevensie?"

Smiling, the dark-haired Pevensie girl said, "Oh no, Mrs. Wellman. Forgive me. I was just waiting for Magda."

Magda's eyes widened in surprise. "Me?" she said, pointing.

Susan nodded. "Would you like to join my friends and I for lunch?"

The girl just blinked in confusion.

"Lunch," Susan rephrased. "Lunch with my friends and I?"

This time it seemed to click. "Oh!" she said. "Sure. Liken very much."

Mrs. Wellman smiled. "That's very thoughtful thing for you to do, Susan. It's great to see that Magda has a friend here. I'll see the two of you later."

After the two girl said farewell to their teacher, Susan said, "Come along. We don't want to be late. I'm hungry."

"Hungrig," Magda said in agreement as she nodded her head.

This caught Susan off-guard. "Pardon me? I'm not sure I heard right."

"Hungrig," the girl repeated.

"Is that how you say hungry in German?"

"Ya. I meen...yes."

The two girls smiled. Susan didn't know if they were going to be best friends, but at least she and Magda were off to a decent start. So far she seemed nicer than what she had been at the meal the evening before. Then again, maybe she was just overwhelmed with meeting so many people at once the night before. From what Susan could recall, Magda didn't seem to mind the company to awful much. IT was only when the row broke out between ther Berkovichs and her brother that she became less friendly. Perhaps she was just being shy.

With these thoughts in the back of her mind, Susan and Magda made their way to the Dining Hall. Time would surely tell for certain where this would go. In the mean time, they had another thing on their mind...food.


End file.
